Long Harem Road

Chapter 38

After Baozhu received the news that the emperor was going to have lunch together at Cuiluxuan, she arranged for Madam Li to go to the small kitchen, and beat everyone in the small kitchen to avoid mistakes.

After being promoted to Concubine Bao and opening the small kitchen, Baozhu did not choose the new person sent by the queen, but sent Huanxi to the small kitchen to take up a place, and also allocated several clean maids served by Cuiluxuan to the small kitchen. Kitchen help.

When Zhao Zhen arrived, it was past noon, and Baozhu had already eaten the porridge and snacks for pregnant women specially prepared by Nanny Li in advance, and filled her stomach in advance. Pregnant women can't be hungry.

"Your Majesty is auspicious." Zhao Zhen pulled up the orb, put his arms around his waist, and said with concern, "Bao'er doesn't need to be too polite, I am here today uninvited, to taste the cooking skills in Bao'er's small kitchen."

"Your Majesty can come, the emerald green pavilion is full of brilliance, please give me your advice." Baozhu blinked mischievously, patted the snow on the emperor's body, and handed a cup of hot tea, "Your Majesty, please have a cup first Black tea warms the stomach, we will eat later."

Zhao Zhen enjoyed Baozhu's thoughtfulness very much, took the teacup with a smile, and took a sip, not only his stomach but also his body warmed up.

Baozhu pulled the emperor to sit down, and a table of delicious food was quickly brought up. The fragrance was overflowing, and Baozhu smiled at the emperor, "Your Majesty, please taste it."

Zhao Zhen gave a wink, and Li Mingzhong, who was standing behind him, quickly took out the silver needle, checked it carefully, then picked up the chopsticks, and put the vegetables into the emperor's bowl.

Baozhu had a toothache while sitting beside her, so she should have stood by and waited on her. Fortunately, the emperor was considerate of her pregnancy, so she was able to sit down and enjoy the delicious food.

"Well, Bao'er's dishes are really good in color and taste. I have a big appetite. The meat is fat but not greasy, the dishes are crisp and delicious, and the dim sum is fragrant and soft, which makes people have an endless aftertaste. Not bad, I deserve a reward." Zhao Zhen eats and drinks enough, and exports comments.

"The concubine will thank the emperor first. Since the emperor eats well, does the cook also want to reward him?" Baozhu led the emperor around the room, walking around in circles.

"Hehe, it should be rewarded. What did Bao'er say should reward the cook?"

"Your Majesty, do you want to call the cook in so that the concubine can ask?" Baozhu laughed.

"Hehe, alright, cook Xuan comes in." Zhao Zhen was a little elusive about what her Concubine Bao wanted to do, but she also cooperated.

"The slaves are happy to kowtow to the emperor, long live the emperor." Huanxi entered the room and kowtowed to the emperor.

"Aifei, this one is not..." Zhao Zhen looked at Huanxi, feeling familiar, but not sure.

"Back to the emperor, this is Huanxi around the concubine. The concubine loves food very much in the boudoir. Huanxi also learned from the chef of Shunfengzhai in the capital for several years. No, after Cuiluxuan opened a small kitchen, the concubine So I arranged for her to go to the kitchen." Baozhu said a little shyly.

"Haha, the people around Aifei are really smart and capable, Huanxi, your empress said she would reward you, what do you want?"

"Back to the emperor, the servants only want the safety of the master, and they can serve the master all the time, and there is nothing else to ask for." Huanxi knelt in front of the emperor, sincerely and fearfully said.

"Well, you are a loyal one. Since Concubine Bao likes your cooking skills, I will reward you with a golden spoon. Make persistent efforts to serve your master well."

"Thank you soon, this is the emperor's greatest affirmation of your culinary skills." Hearing this, Baozhu hurriedly reminded her.

"Thank you Lord Long En, the slaves must work harder to serve you well." Huanxi expressed joy and kowtowed to thank her.

"Well, back off."

"The slaves retire."

Baozhu smiled and Yanyan watched the joy go down, and then the smile on his face faded, and his brows were slightly frowned. Zhao Zhen found out, and joked: "Why is Bao'er so sad? Be careful that the baby's face will be wrinkled in the future. Oh."

"Your Majesty, my concubine is reluctant to part with happy cooking skills, but as a result, the concubine's side is missing a big maid, and I am worried about how to make up for it? You still make fun of her." Baozhu acted coquettishly, but her mind was full of twists Thousand times.

In the harem, a concubine of the second rank can have a stewardess, a senior eunuch, two senior maids to serve her personally, and four second-class maids to be responsible for basic necessities of life.

Six third-class maids were responsible for cleaning, boiling water and other peripheral work, and six young eunuchs were responsible for doing some chores and inquiring about news.

Baozhu promoted Hongye, Greenye, Ziye, and Qingye, who had no backstage, to second-class palace maids. Hongye was in charge of her clothing, jewelry, etc., and Green Ye and Ziye put them in the small kitchen to help, and Qingye was in charge of daily affairs.

Blue leaf, orange leaf, and the four new maids selected by Nanny Li today, and named them Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Four Flowers, as the third-class palace maid, Baozhu did not accept the cook sent by the Shang Palace Bureau. , one of her grand ladies will be vacant.

The queen will know right away that she will never let go of such a good opportunity to install someone into Cuiluxuan, and Baozhu has to report to the emperor in a hurry to win the initiative.

Hearing this, Zhao Zhen understood Baozhu's concerns. He felt guilty about Baozhu and wanted to show it. Come one."

"Really? The concubine thanked the emperor first." Baozhu smiled happily, and tiptoed to kiss the emperor.

From the moment the emperor stepped into Cuiluxuan, she was plotting against Zhao Zhen's heart. She could feel Zhao Zhen's little bit of guilt today, so she made full use of it for her own benefit.

The people sent by the emperor are naturally more reliable than the messy people who are rewarded by the queen, and the one who can win the favor of the emperor is probably just a simple court lady?
Baozhu knew it well, but she didn't know that her move made Zhengzheng seize the loophole and prepare to reward the queen who entered the Cuiluxuan with her confidant in the name of taking care of the pregnant woman. She held her breath and almost spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Okay, I'm also doing it for the baby." The emperor turned his face awkwardly, wrapped his arms around Baozhu's soft waist, and put one hand on his lower abdomen.

Zhao Zhen didn't know when he started, but he especially liked stroking Bao'er's soft belly. He had never felt a similar feeling before. It was very warm and nostalgic, like an ordinary husband and father who was expecting the birth of a baby.

Seeing the embarrassment of the emperor, Baozhu secretly laughed in her heart, never thought that the wise and mighty emperor would also be shy sometimes, it is really rare, fortunately the emperor is not so cold and inhuman, otherwise, life in this palace would be even more difficult.

The two were speechless for a while, strolling quietly in the room, occasionally looking at each other and smiling, for a moment, Baozhu felt that the years were quiet, hey, could it be that even pregnant people become emotional?

"Bao'er, I will come to see you in two days. Since the queen has spared you the time of greeting, you can rest assured to have a baby." Zhao Zhen enjoyed this short-lived warmth. Before leaving, he put his arms around Baozhu's waist, patiently exhorted.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. The empress is considerate of my concubines, and my concubines are very grateful." Baozhu looked at the emperor, hesitated to speak, raised her eyes to look at Zhao Zhen with a smile on her face, and decided to take the risk and try it out.

"Your Majesty, the war in the south is still raging, and the second elder brother of my concubine is also on the battlefield. I am very worried. Why don't you take advantage of this time to copy Buddhist scriptures and pray for the soldiers in the south? You are doing your best. Can you see it?"

Since the emperor said so, presumably she has grasped what happened during the greeting, and there is no need for her to give the queen eye drops, she just asked for opinions cautiously, in order to delay the time to go out.

Zhao Zhen was noncommittal, staring at the little woman in front of him with dark eyes, and paused for a moment with his hands on his waist. Bao'er was really thinking hard about the miscarriage.

On the one hand, Zhao Zhen is very pleased with her intelligence and her grasp of form, but on the other hand, she is slightly blocked unconsciously. Does Bao'er distrust me so much that I can protect you?

Zhao Zhen is also unclear about his own thoughts, so he doesn't need a weak and incompetent little Jiaohua. In the harem, such a woman cannot survive, but he hates a woman who is too scheming, sinister and vicious.

He dotes on Baozhu, on the one hand because of her family background, on the other hand, she is smart and wise enough to protect herself, and never takes the initiative to harm others. Even if she is a little cautious, it is to please him and protect herself. He can accept all these , even happy to hear and see.

However, at this moment, he felt frustrated, and even had a trace of remorse. He felt that he was excluded from Bao'er and the child. This kind of cognition made him feel like a ball of cotton was stuck in his heart, and he felt inexplicably depressed.

Baozhu was a little hairy from being stared at by the emperor, could it be that today was too much, which caused the emperor's reaction?Just trying to figure out how to round up the words, the emperor spoke.

"Since Concubine Ai likes to pray for blessings, let's stay in Cuilvxuan and be confined for two months." Zhao Zhen finished speaking in a blunt tone, without turning his head, and left angrily with a dark face.

"Respectfully send off the emperor." Baozhu stood at the door, watching the emperor's leaving back, with an indistinguishable expression, happy that he finally achieved the expected goal, but somehow recruited the emperor, this is not a good omen.

Bao Zhu has been lethargic and fatigued recently, and Huan Huan supported her to lay on the bed, closed her eyes and rested her mind, she will be safe for at least two months, as for the emperor, let's think of a way later, and fell asleep after a while.

Although the emperor was angry, he kept his promise, and soon Li Mingzhong brought a reward, and there was also a big court lady Qingmei.Baozhu woke up two hours later, and she also saw what it means to be ugly.

Qingmei is about 20 years old, with dark skin, petite body, and ordinary appearance. She is the kind who will disappear when thrown into the crowd. Of course, Baozhu does not think that the person sent by the emperor is really ordinary.

Baozhu asked a few questions as usual, Qingmei's answer was quite satisfactory, she was very respectful to her new master, she didn't mean to force her at all, so she felt relieved.

In this way, Qingmei took over Huanxi's original job, Baozhu didn't treat her differently, and said to the outside world that she was a newly selected grand lady from the Shang Palace Bureau, and Huanxi knew the truth, but she was only secretly vigilant and did not show it on the surface. .

When the queen received the emperor's order again, and the concubine Bao was confined to the Cuilu Pavilion for two months to pray for the soldiers in the south, a mouthful of blood that had been held back for a day finally spewed out, and her hatred for the orb surged like a flood that opened the gate.

(End of this chapter)